Eat Sleep Sit: My Year at Japan's Most Rigorous Zen Temple

Think of the minute details of the tea ceremony...now apply that level of precision detail to the simplestuff of daily life like brushing your teeth... gave a whole newinsight into the meaning of mindfulness... it is remembering thesequences, the precise hand position... even when going to the toilet!None before took the reader inside the novices learning experience.And the emotionally rigorous demands ... Basic training on steroidscomes to mind.

(Disclaimer: I'm a Zen priest in the Vietnamese Lam Te lineage, practicing at a temple where our Roshi is ordained in both Soto Zen and Lam Te)We've consumed this book like a Halloween candy grab - highly enjoyable and, at least for us, an addictive read. The author is very honest, looking back at his year in training at Eiheji Monastery. I'm not sure I read the same edition that the reviewer who was displeased not to know why the author chose this path; there's a preface to the paperback edition (found in the back of my book) that gives the context of the decision. But his past and "future" are only frames; it's really about the immediate experience as a trainee. The discipline is brutal - both figurative and literal, but the author makes clear the path, his journey and his understanding of the destination. It does sound like relentless repetition and "tedium" lead to his decision to leave after a year - a valid, if somewhat disappointing choice. I didn't find the descriptions of the daily life at various stages to be boring, in the least. The writing was clear and, seemed to me, quite accessible. It's not a self-help or how-to book, but a unique memoir. I suspect that an understanding of Japanese Buddhist culture (or at least knowing about the hereditary temple system) and, in general, not idealizing Zen or the Zen practitioner (of whatever stripe) may help to avoid disappointments. *grin*I read it in a couple of gulps and was glad to have found it.

After reading this excellent book, you will probably not want to become a Zen Buddhist monk at Eiheiji in Japan. It is eye-opening to read all the difficult situations that the monks are put in. The monks have no time to think about their selves at all. It made me wonder if Dougen, the founder of Eiheiji really would be happy with the way the monastery is run today. Dougen brought Zen Buddhism from China to Japan in the year 1227. If you have a good idea of what Zen Buddhism is, this great book will give you pause. I highly reccommend this book.

A fascinating description of the rigors of life in a Zen temple. No meditation. No koans. Just total focus on perfection of every action.

A very easy, mostly uneventful read regardless of your Zen Buddhism knowledge. I close the book with an appreciation for the author’s experience but wish he had included more opinion, more personal insight throughout his story.

Fantastic book, exactly what I was looking for. Excellent account of a monk's life and the perspective shifts that came with it.

The book expressed as a lay mind all the experience to enter gradually in the Zen universe.

Wonderfully insightful and honest. Truly a glimpse of the spirituality and depth and vigor of the zen tradition which is too often overlooked or oversimplified in the West.

Fascinating description of a young man's year at Eihei-ji. I wonder if it is still like that there, 30 years on? I hope the violence inflicted on the new recruits by the senior trainee monks has been replaced by care and compassion, as is the Zen way. Dōgen didn't tell his monks to beat the crap out of the new monks, or to feed them so little that they get beriberi (vitamin B1 deficiency) from gorging on rice. It's sad how humans always mess things up. But don't let that put you off the book, which is extremely readable and enjoyable. I wish Nonomura would write a follow-up, letting us know how his life panned out and how his temple experience affected him in the longer term.

There are several autobiographies of westerners who have stayed in Japanese temples but 'Eat Sleep Sit' is the first I have found which was written by a Japanese person. This gives us more of an insider's point of view from someone who understands the culture within which they have been immersed.The regime at Eiheiji is extremely tough - the monks are woken at 3:30 AM, except for initiates who have to get up at 1:30 AM to get through their additional daily chores. All the monks are required to work hard in addition to hours of meditation - which is hardly any easier, since sitting in the painful full lotus position is compulsory. One initiate who is physically unable to sit in full lotus due to a breaking his leg a few years earlier, is told to tie his legs into place. In addition, any initiates who are slow to remember the monasterys' many complicated rules, or who merely look a senior in the eye, are subjected to beatings.While it offers much insight into the running of a tradition Japanese Soto Zen temple, this book doesn't say much about the intricacies of zen teachings. But I suspect that's partly the point - zen is a practical 'philosophy of action', a system of meditation & a state of mind & being to keep with you when you go about your daily chores, rather than lofty ideas to be read about & debated. This also makes 'Eat Sleep Sit' an interesting insight into traditional Japanese culture rather than an in-depth book on Buddhist teachings, giving it wider appeal.The accounts of the rituals involved are surprisingly fascinating. The monastery follows the strict & incredibly detailed rules laid down by Dogen in his famous Shobogenzo, which cover everything from eating to how to go to the toilet. How a monk lays their chopsticks on their bowl, for example, signifies the difference between saying you are full & asking for a second helping - and the lack of food meant getting it wrong would result in going very hungry. Nonomura explains that these are not merely empty traditions - concentrating on so many strict rules makes a person very mindful of every action they perform. Also, how strictly someone observes the rules while on the toilet, when nobody else is watching, says a lot about their character.I suspect that anyone with romantic notions about life in a traditional Japanese temple who reads 'Eat Sleep Sit' will finish this book feeling rather jaded. The author certainly conveys a sense of constantly being on edge due to the incredible strictness, rather than relaxedly floating off to higher planes of existence (wherever they are).'Eat Sleep Sit' is a fascinating account of a very different way of life. Like the author, I was very humbled by the thought of countless monks having endured such hardships over the last few hundred years out of dedication - and Eiheiji certainly requires plenty of dedication! However, I felt compelled to only give it 4 stars because while the author details how the strictness of the regime afected his life once he left Eiheiji, I felt he gave little insight into whether it affected him on a deeper, emotional level. Shobogenzo

`Eat, Sleep, Sit' is a book about the day to day life in a Zen monastery from the point of view of a Japanese trainee monk. Not only is it beautifully written (and by extension well translated) but it manages to keep you both fascinated and involved throughout. You feel, along with the author, the monastery transform over the year of his training from something terrible, scary and even a little cruel (with beatings for minor infractions) to something pure, loving and venerable. It all depends on the authors outlook at the time and with what perspective he viewed his experiences. You see his growth and development as he struggles to master the various ceremonies and intricacies of monastery life and a little of how he feels after he leaves the temple and re-enters `normal' society. This has some wonderful phrases and style of writing and I was engrossed after only a few pages. It manages to conjure up an image of each scene or event being described and you start to live and breathe his training regime with him as he gets more adept and involved in his Zen practise. After reading some books of life in a monastery from a western perspective (like `The Empty Mirror' by JanwillemVan De Wetering) it was refreshing to read about it from a Japanese point of view and this makes for one beautiful and fascinating read. It comes highly recommended indeed.Feel free to check out my blog which can be found on my profile page.

This is delightfully written with a good balance of thoughts and feelings with fact and explanation. The book reads very well and is carefully and logically laid out. The book has really made me think about life in a completely different way and I never knew that a human being could exist in such conditions. Not only is this a test of mental strength, but this is a real physical test also.I have also looked at the life and some amazing vies on Youtube and this has made my understanding and awareness far greater.

I gave this book 5stars.Well written highly informative with insights on existence presence and discipline in Zen monasteries Would share book with my son and daughter and some younger people to inspire them on the truth ie existence is the true meaning of life

This is a beautiful and fascinating book. Pick a comfortable chair and a quiet moment to sit and read it - you'll almost feel as if you were at the monastery yourself - you may even get some benefits in the form of a calm stillness. Good for you. I hope you read it and enjoy.

I really loved this book. The author's voice seems to have been preserved in the translation and the narrative is insightful, interesting and a times amusing-I really couldn't put this book down. I can now see just how tough a new disciple has to be to join Eiheiji.

Brilliant well written book.

Excellent

It's not just another one of those biographical stories about a temporary stay as a layperson, but a real insight into the reality of Japanese training monasteries. So on one hand this book is a great ressource for everybody who wants to get a detailed report of the duties of a monk in training. On the other hand it shows, that beatings by senior monks, and strict rules for literally every daily task are still common.So if you know somebody with some romantic fantasies about becoming a monk in Japan, this book will be a total cure. Especially how much the trainees have to do before tey even knock at the gate will give them a second thought about their dreams.

Livro muito legal. Mostra como funciona Eiheiji, as atividades diárias, as dificuldades de um monge em treinamento. Livro gostoso de ler.

You can certainly tell that this book was written over several years of recall of details of the author's induction and stay at the Zen temple. The detail is crisp to the extent where I could almost feel my presence in the temple with him. I expected to have read more of Zen teachings but this book describes more of life, practices and discipline one experiences at this prestigious monastery.